NO ESCAPE

YOU CAN'T RUN AWAY FOREVER

Bible didn’t answer; he didn’t dare. His mind raced with possibilities, but none of them offered a clean way out. He’d seen too much—more than Jes would ever allow anyone to live and tell.

He turned a sharp corner, his shoulder scraping against the rough wall. Pain flared, but it was nothing compared to the terror driving him forward. His hands clutched at his phone, the one thing he hoped might save him. If he could just get a signal, just make a call...

Behind him, Jes's laughter rang out, cold and confident. "Run all you want, Bible. You're only making this more fun for me."

Bible skidded to a stop in front of a chain-link fence, its rusted metal towering above him. His heart sank. There was no way over it—at least, not fast enough. He spun around, backing away as Jes emerged from the shadows, his black boots crunching against the gravel.

Jes looked almost casual, like this was just another night for him. He wiped a spot of blood from his cheek with the back of his hand, his knife gleaming under the dim light. "I admire your determination," Jes said, his lips curving into a smirk. "But you know how this ends."

Bible clenched his fists, his mind racing. "I didn’t see anything," he lied, his voice trembling despite his best effort to sound convincing. "I swear. I’ll disappear. You’ll never see me again."

Jes tilted his head, pretending to consider the offer. "You’re a good actor, Bible," he said, his voice dripping with mockery. "But we both know that’s not how this works."

Jes lunged.

Bible barely dodged, his instincts kicking in as he bolted down another alley. His eyes darted around, searching for anything—anywhere—that could give him an edge. A fire escape ladder hung just within reach. Without thinking, he jumped, grabbing hold and pulling himself up.

Jes cursed below, his patience thinning. "You think you can hide from me?" he shouted, his voice reverberating through the empty streets.

Bible climbed higher, his hands slipping on the metal rungs slick with dew. He reached the rooftop, his chest heaving as he scanned the city below. For a moment, he felt a sliver of hope. Maybe he could lose Jes in the maze of rooftops. Maybe—

A hand grabbed his ankle.

Bible yelped, kicking frantically as Jes pulled himself onto the roof, his eyes glinting with predatory delight. "Caught you," Jes hissed, tightening his grip.

But Bible wasn’t done. Summoning every ounce of strength, he twisted and landed a desperate kick to Jes's jaw. Jes stumbled back, cursing, and Bible scrambled to his feet, running again.

The rooftop ended abruptly, the next building a dangerous leap away. Bible hesitated for a fraction of a second, then backed up, sprinting full force toward the edge. He jumped.

Time seemed to slow. The wind roared in his ears. He reached out, his fingers brushing the ledge of the next building—

And missed.

He plummeted, his scream swallowed by the night as Jes’s smirk lingered in the distance.Bible fainted from the sudden fall and woke up to find himself in a room....